Department for Transport

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 24 October (HL10536), whether they plan to reduce the time by which local authorities should achieve compliance with NOX emissions targets.

baroness sugg: The Government has required local authorities to develop local plans and implement them at pace so that air quality limits are achieved within the shortest possible time. This is set out in our 2017 UK Plan to Tackle Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide.

Railways: Electrification

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the shortlistedsubmission made by Moxon Architects with Mott MacDonald to the RIBA aesthetic overhead line structures competition on the cost of railway electrification.

baroness sugg: This is an industry-run competition, supported by DfT funding, to identify Overhead Line Structure designs that minimise impact on the surrounding environment. DfT has not played a part in the assessment process.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 24 October (HL10536), what proportion ofNO2exceedance in NOX targets is attributed to buses as opposed to other traffic.

baroness sugg: On average, local road traffic and road traffic background are respectively responsible for around 60% and 18% of UK roadside NOx concentrations. On average, buses contribute around 16% of the NOx concentrations from local road traffic. We do not have statistics on how much of the NO2 exceedance is attributed to buses. Since 2010 the Government has provided almost £150 million to help bus operators and local authorities purchase cleaner buses, and £67 million to retrofit existing bus fleets to a minimum Euro VI standard.

Road Traffic

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 24 October (HL10536), what plans they have to deal with increasing levels of pollution and disrupted public transport caused by congestion.

baroness sugg: As part of the Industrial Strategy launched at the Autumn Budget 2017, the Government launched the £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund to support transport projects that increase productivity and reduce congestion. Local authorities with an NO2 exceedance can also apply for funding through the Clean Air Fund, which can fund measures to tackle congestion such as changing traffic signaling and improving road and junction layouts.

Railways: North of England

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) investing in improving rail connectivity between northern cities, and (2) the economic benefits of such investment compared to those anticipated from HS2.

baroness sugg: By 2020 we will have spent over £13bn improving and modernising transport in the North of England. This investment includes providing better rail journeys through the Great North Rail Project. We have also upgraded the network between Liverpool and Manchester and the two new franchises are delivering more than 500 brand-new train carriages, with room for 40,000 more passengers and 2,000 extra services a week. In Liverpool City Region, £340m is being invested between now and 2019 to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers. The Government is committed to Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) – a transformational programme to bring the cities of the North closer together with faster and more frequent rail links. At Budget the Chancellor announced a further £37m to develop the scheme. This is on top of the £60m we have made available to Transport for the North to develop the business case for the scheme by the end of this year and will include an assessment of the economic benefits of the scheme. HS2 brings similar benefits in improved connectivity between the major cities of the North and Midlands. The HS2 business case shows over £92 billion of benefits including £18 billion of wider benefits e.g. – delivering more than £2 of benefits for every £1 of investment. This represents good value for money and is in line with other major rail schemes. HS2 is also critical in engineering terms to delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail as HS2 infrastructure is assumed to be used by NPR services. The Chancellor announced £300m in October 2017 to ensure that HS2 is future-proofed for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Crossrail Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 17 May (HL7494), how many stations to be serviced by Crossrail 1 trains have station platform heights of (1) 1000 mm, and (2) 750mm.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 17 May (HL7494), whetherthey have investigated whethertrain manufacturers could build trains to give level access in the range 1000mm to 750mm.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 17 May (HL7494), what will be the estimated additional operating costs per annum for stations outside the central section to provide staff at all times to provide portable ramps.

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 17 May (HL7494),whether the same arrangements of platform heights are being planned for Crossrail 2 as for Crossrail 1.

baroness sugg: There are no stations that will be served by Crossrail 1 trains that have a station platform height of 1000mm or 750mm. The Crossrail rolling stock contract is held and managed by Transport for London (TfL), and therefore any conversations with train manufacturers regarding the specification of the Elizabeth line trains are a matter for TfL. However, Crossrail Limited have provided the Department with a summary of their findings concerning the possible use of trains with floor heights lower than 1100mm. Crossrail Limited identified significant problems that would have impacted upon the design of the train, such as a widening of the gauge profile which would result in unacceptable infringements on gauge clearances at legacy platforms. As the future operator of the Elizabeth line, the operating costs for stations are a matter for TfL.Crossrail 2 is under development. Detailed design requirements including platform heights will be considered as development progresses.

Official Cars: Exhaust Emissions

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of their central car fleet is zero-emission capable; and whether they are on target to hit their ambitionof25per cent of their fleet to be ultra-low emission by 2025.

baroness sugg: Currently, 11.25% of the central car fleet operated by the Government Car Service (GCS) are zero-emission vehicles. By the end of this year 21.25% will be ultra-low emission when cars on order replace diesel models due for replacement. GCS are on course to meet the target announced in the 2017 Autumn Statement that 25% of central government fleets will be ultra-low emission vehicles by 2022.

Railways: Yorkshire and the Humber

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement byBaroness Sugg on 29 October (HL Deb, col 1119) that "we are working closely with Transport for the North to help transform the economy of the north of England through Northern Powerhouse Rail" and "are looking forward to its business case which will be published at the end of this year, and which will set out details of routes and indeed costs”, whether the terms of reference for the details of those routes include a requirement that the new route will include stops at (1) Bradford, and (2) Sheffield; and whether any assurances on this have been given to those two cities.

baroness sugg: We are working closely to support Transport for the North in developing the Strategic Outline Business Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) which they intend to submit to Government at the end of this year. Services between Sheffield and Manchester, Leeds and Hull have always been a core part of the NPR proposal. Transport for the North’s Strategic Transport Plan set out that serving Bradford as part of the Manchester and Leeds corridor was a priority and options for this are being considered in the business case.

Railways: North of England

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the development funding to be made available for Northern Powerhouse Rail announced in the Budget isadditional to that which is already being spent on that project by Transport for the North; if so, what it will be spent on and when; and whether the spending of those funds depends on decisions which will be made following the publication of the business case at the end of this year.

baroness sugg: The £37m made available at Budget for financial year 2019-20 to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) is in addition to funds already being spent by Transport for the North to develop the scheme. This will be used to take forward development work on NPR following the submission of the business case at the end of this year.

Channel Crossing: Shipping

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have consulted the road logistics and shipping industry on any contingency plans for cross channel shipping in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

baroness sugg: The Government is discussing a range of contingency planning issues with industry, including the road logistics and shipping sectors.

Channel Crossing: Shipping

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of alternative UK ports to accommodate traffic currently carried through Dover in their contingency plans for cross channel shipping in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

baroness sugg: The Department is undertaking a range of analysis to understand the transport implications of various scenarios, and to support the Department’s contingency planning.

Channel Crossing: Shipping

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of UK lorry drivers available for the onward transport of goods arriving at UK ports in their contingency plans for cross channel shipping in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

baroness sugg: The availability of UK-based lorry drivers is a relevant consideration when considering any potential switch from accompanied to unaccompanied freight, and the Government is taking this into account in its planning work.

Railways

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 29 October (HL10683), what representations they are making to the Office of Rail and Road, as part of the ongoing regulatory periodic review, regarding the case for operators to make best use of track by providing most seats for each path used.

baroness sugg: Government has made extensive representations to the Office of Rail and Road as part of the Periodic Review 2018 process, which concluded on 31 October with the publication of the Final Determination. This has included the publication of the High Level Output Specification and Statement of Funds Available. Government has not, however, made specific, prescriptive representations to the effect that it expects operators to maximise the number of seats for each train path. Government has instead taken an outcomes-based approach, focussing on the outcomes that matter most to passengers and freight users, including safety, reliability and capacity, with the responsibility being on the industry to deliver these. Government’s representations to the Office of Rail and Road, including its response to the Draft Determination, which was published on 23 August 2018, have stressed that Government places great importance on better using and improving the capacity of the network, including by strengthening the System Operator, which provides advice on the better use of capacity. As the Periodic Review relates to funding and outputs for rail infrastructure, most decisions regarding the utilisation of capacity on the network and increases in seat numbers are made through the Department for Transport’s franchising programme.

East-West Rail Link

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 22 October (HL10506), why work to assess the contribution of the East West Rail programme to both regional and national economic growth has not yet been completed; and when it will be completed.

baroness sugg: The newly created East West Railway Company is in the process of evaluating the economic benefits of the railway. We expect an economic assessment of the next phase of the project, between Bicester and Bedford, to be published in the coming months. Analysis on the Central Section, between Bedford and Cambridge, is also being progressed. East West Railway Company is planning to hold a public consultation on route options for the Central Section in the early part of next year.

Railways: Flood Control

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 23 October (HL10503), what new flood resilience schemes are planned in (1) Somerset, (2) Devon, and (3) Cornwall, for each of the next five years.

baroness sugg: Network Rail’s CP6 delivery plan, which will cover 2019-2024, is due to be published in March 2019, and will cover new flood resilience schemes.

Crossrail Line

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 29 October, on what date the Secretary of State was first made aware, either formally or informally, that the opening of Crossrail was likely to be delayed.

baroness sugg: The Crossrail Board took the decision to delay the opening of the Elizabeth line central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood on Wednesday 29th August 2018. Crossrail Limited notified the Secretary of State of that decision on Thursday 30th August 2018. Crossrail Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Transport for London. As reported in the Written Ministerial Statement (WMS) of 24 July 2018, the Department was aware that there were increasing challenges with regard to the project schedule and the Department was monitoring project delivery very closely. At the time of the WMS, Crossrail Limited were reporting that the December 2018 opening was deliverable.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Meters

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported conclusion by the Advertising Standards Authority that energy companies will pass on the costs of smart meters to customers through higher bills.

lord henley: Consumers pay for their smart metering service as part of their energy bill, as they do for their traditional metering service. Smart meters will deliver reductions to consumers’ energy bills. It is estimated that smart meters will take £300m off consumers’ bills in 2020, rising to more than £1.2bn per year by 2030 – an average annual saving of £47 per household.

Northern Ireland Office

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland: Finance

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have determined the budget for the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland for the financial year 2019–20; and if so, what settlement has been agreed.

lord duncan of springbank: The Northern Ireland Office is committed to ensuring that all of its sponsored bodies have the necessary resources to deliver their statutory functions and budgets are therefore reviewed annually. Northern Ireland Office officials are currently engaging with the Chief Electoral Officer to confirm the allocation for the next financial year and I expect that this will be determined in early 2019.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Finance

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to the provision of additional resources to local authorities for specialist support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

lord agnew of oulton: We want children with special educational needs and disabilities to be able to reach their full potential. That is why we have reformed the funding for children and young people with high needs to make it fairer. High needs funding across England has risen by £1 billion since 2013, and will be over £6 billion next year.Previously underfunded local authorities are seeing significant increases to their high needs funding, up to six per cent per head of the 2 to 18 population in 2019 to 2020 compared to what they planned to spend in 2017 to 2018. The provisional allocations for 2019 to 2020 that we announced in July can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pre-16-schools-funding-guidance-for-2019-to-2020. These will be updated with the latest pupil number data in December.We are monitoring the impact of our national funding formula for high needs on local authority spending decisions and keeping the overall level of funding available under review. Funding for 2020 to 2021 and beyond will be determined in the context of the next spending review.

Children in Care

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the number of children entering local authority care is increasing; what assessment they have made of the causes of any such increase; and what steps they are taking to reduce that number.

lord agnew of oulton: We monitor the number of children entering the care system on an ongoing basis and information showing the change in the number of children entering the care system for the period since 2010 is provided in the table below:Children who started to be looked after1,2,3 for years ending 31 March 2010 to 2017. Coverage: England. Source: SSDA903 2010201120122013201420152016201728,09027,52028,39028,98030,73031,36032,16032,810Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the year has been counted.Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, but include children who were previously looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, but have changed to become looked after under a different legal status (e.g. care order) in the year.  Further breakdowns of children who started to be looked after can be found in Table C1 of the statistical first release ‘Children Looked After in England including Adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them. One of the key principles of the legislation which underpins the UK’s child protection system, is that children are best looked after within their families. In July 2018, we revised the attached statutory guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, to make this clear to practitioners. However, that is not always possible and, as a last resort, local authorities may apply to the independent courts for a decision about removing a child from his or her family – where there are concerns that the child is at risk of significant harm.Our reform programme, Putting Children First, aims to ensure that all vulnerable children and families receive the highest quality care and support as soon as a need is identified. We have invested up to £200 million through the Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme to test and develop better practice, including testing approaches to help vulnerable children to remain safely at home. We have also established the What Works Centre, which is pressing ahead with its research programme, including what works in safely reducing the need for children to enter care.At the Budget, on 29 October 2018, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the government is also investing £84 million of targeted funding, for a number of local authorities, to improve their social work practice and decision-making. This is to enable these local authorities to support vulnerable children to stay safely at home, thriving in stable family circumstances, where that is in their best interests.



Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children_2018
(PDF Document, 2.23 MB)

Special Educational Needs

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the advance pre-publication draft report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Is Britain Fairer?, published on 25 October, that “in England, the long-term trend towards inclusion of children with SEND in mainstream schools has been reversed” and that this is “at odds with the UK’s commitment to progressively achieve inclusive education for all under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities".

lord agnew of oulton: We are currently considering the findings of the report. We remain committed to inclusive education of disabled children and young people and progressively removing the barriers to learning and participation in mainstream education. The Children and Families Act (2014) secures the general presumption in law of mainstream education in relation to decisions about where children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) should be educated; and the Equality Act (2010) provides protection from discrimination for disabled people. We have very high expectations of our mainstream schools, where 98.3% of pupils are educated. As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State said in his speech to the Association of Directors of Children’s Services earlier this year: ‘Every school is a school for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND); and every teacher is a teacher of SEND pupils'. While many parents of disabled children choose mainstream education, others will want a specialist setting. Some children have complex SEN that mean that the best educational experience for them is in a school that specialises in meeting those needs. For them, a special school is a positive choice.

Pre-school Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage more men to train and take up roles in early years education.

lord agnew of oulton: The department’s ‘Early Years Workforce Strategy’ (published March 2017) included a commitment to set up a gender diversity task and finish group of sector stakeholders to consider this issue in more depth. The group shared its findings over the summer and we are currently considering how best to address the issue of gender diversity in the early years workforce.

Nurseries

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are putting in place to ensure sufficient supply of nursery places for families living in rural and coastal areas.

lord agnew of oulton: Local authorities have a duty to secure sufficient childcare for families in their local areas. The department will continue to support all local authorities to deliver the government’s childcare offers and ensure sufficient places, through direct support from departmental officials and our delivery partners. In September 2018, we also announced a year extension to the Childcare Works contract, which will see continued support being provided to local authorities and childcare providers in helping to deliver the government entitlements. The department is committed to ensuring all parents have access to high-quality affordable childcare. We recognise that providers and families living and operating in rural communities are faced with particular barriers to delivering and accessing childcare. That is why under the new early years national funding formula introduced in 2017, local authorities can use a rurality or sparsity supplement in their local funding formulae.

Pre-school Education: Apprentices

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to introduce the early years apprenticeship standard.

lord agnew of oulton: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships. I have asked its Chief Executive, Sir Gerry Berragan, to write to the noble Lord and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Ministry of Defence

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the minimum buy of Sea Lightning (F35B) aircraft to ensure the ability to deploy two carriers with the planned 35 jets on each carrier in a national emergency.

earl howe: The Ministry of Defence does not recognise the term 'Sea Lightning', with 'F-35B Lightning' the designation jointly agreed by the First Sea Lord and the Chief of the Air Staff. Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 stated our intent to buy 138 F-35 Lightning aircraft over the life of the programme. The first tranche of 48 aircraft will be the F-35B; decisions on subsequent tranches of Lightning will be taken at the appropriate time. We are on track to generate two front-line squadrons of F-35B Lightnings by 2023.

Military Decorations

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 15 October (HL10447 and HL10448), when the decision was made to rescind the written confirmation given in 1998 to retiring heads of service that they would be treated in exactly the same way as retired 5 star officers.

earl howe: We have made no changes to the agreed five-star privileges accorded to the former Heads of Service.

Astute Class Submarines

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact the planned reduction of the Astute submarine fleet will have on the UK’s broad strategic defence goals after Brexit.

earl howe: I refer the noble Lord to my announcement of the written statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Gavin Williamson) in the House of Commons on 14 May 2018 (HLWS660). The Ministry of Defence has always planned to procure seven Astute-Class Submarines and these plans have not changed.



20180514 - WMS Astute Boat 7
(Word Document, 21.96 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Contracts

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 23 October (HL10674), whether they include in supplier contracts a specific requirement that they do nothing to harm public confidence in the person of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; and if so, whether this is a new policy, and when it was introduced.

baroness buscombe: Contractual provisions that impose obligations on suppliers not to harm the reputation of the purchasing authority or otherwise bring it into disrepute are not new policy, such provisions are well-established and widely used in both the public and private sector and are transparent throughout the tendering process. These provisions ensure that contractors adhere to good working practices and governance, for example by ensuring they do not break employment law or use dangerous, unfair or unethical practices which may bring the Authority into disrepute or harm public confidence. Such provisions do not stop any contract holders or affiliates from criticising any specific government department, government policy or politicians.

Occupational Pensions

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Buscombe on 31 October (HL10751), what assessment they have made of the obligations on (1) employers, and (2) pension schemes to report failures to pay correct contributions, regardless of whether the errors are large or small; and whether there is a definition of what contributes a material error.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of auto-enrolment pension contributions which are incorrect.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce reporting requirements to monitor accuracy of auto-enrolment pension contribution records on an annual basis; and if so, what those requirements will be.

baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to put procedures in place to (1) monitor error rates in auto-enrolment contribution records, and (2) assess the proportion of schemes which have taken steps to correct those errors.

baroness buscombe: Government has put in place a robust, proportionate, compliance framework for automatic enrolment which ensures that the vast majority of employers are meeting their legal duties, including: declaring compliance, accurately paying contributions and passing contributions to their chosen pension scheme. This framework is backed by statutory powers which enable the Regulator to compel compliance with the law.Employers, trustees, managers and providers must keep records including details of the pension contributions payable in each relevant pay reference period by an employer to the scheme, and the amount payable. This includes the contributions due on the employer’s behalf and deductions made from an individual’s earnings.The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published codes of practice on its website setting out how trustees of defined contribution pension schemes and managers of personal pension schemes should monitor the payment of contributions, provide information to help members check their contributions and report material payment failures to TPR. The codes set out what is considered a material breach, specifically: paragraphs 173 and 174 of Code 3; paragraphs 46 and 47 of Code 5; paragraphs 48 and 49 of Code 6; and paragraphs 173 to 186 of Code 14.In addition, TPR publishes regular assessments of its automatic enrolment compliance and enforcement activities as well as an annual commentary and analysis report, both of which are available on its website.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to extend the deadline to their consultation on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board to allow for more submissions.

lord gardiner of kimble: The consultation on the future of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) launched on 31 August to run for ten weeks. We have no plans to extend the deadline of 9 November. I am, however, very happy to receive views on AHDB at any time.

Seafood: Imports

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend seafood products from Norway, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands to be exempt from physical checks at UK borders following Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government has consistently made clear that we want to preserve continuity in trade with our European neighbours, including non-EU member states such as Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The means by which we deliver this will be the subject of negotiations between the UK and those countries.

Food: Imports

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the UK total food import expenditure is made up of items (1) finished in the EU, and (2) part-finished in the EU, which could be finished in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: Defra does not hold the statistics required to answer this question. Overseas trade commodity data collected by HMRC does not include any details of where products are manufactured, or of any intermediate manufacturing processes.

Nature Conservation

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what acreage of land in England is owned by conservation bodies; and which bodies own such acreage.

lord gardiner of kimble: Natural England is the statutory nature conservation body in England. There are currently 224 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in England, with an approximate area of 94,000 hectares. Natural England manages in whole or in part 143 NNRs, with a total area of approximately 65,000 hectares. Of these, Natural England owns about 20,000 hectares, leases about 30,000 hectares, and manages about 15,000 hectares under Nature Reserve Agreements. The remainder are managed by 53 'Approved Bodies' (organisations approved by Natural England to manage NNRs under Section 35 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Almost all NNRs are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) (over 99% by area) and 84% is designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA), or both. Defra does not hold information on individual land ownership outside the government estate, although many environmental non-government organisations are open about the size of their land holdings. For example, the National Trust and the RSPB, both of whom own significant area of land, publish data and maps of their reserve boundaries across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The public forest estate in England, which is managed by Forest Enterprise England (an executive agency sponsored by the Forestry Commission), covers over 250,000 hectares and is managed for multiple purposes, including conservation.

Flood Control

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on22 October (HL10505), who is responsible for the coordination of the various bodies listed as involved in the mitigation of flood risk; and how is the performance of that responsible body assessed.

lord gardiner of kimble: The National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy (attached) sets out the different roles and responsibilities of public and private bodies in flood and coastal erosion risk management in England.   Defra leads on the development of flood and coastal erosion risk management policy on behalf of the Government.   The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal erosion, details of which can be found in the Strategy. It reports to the Minister annually about flood and coastal erosion risk management; the main reporting responsibilities are set out in Annex 2 of the Strategy. The latest report is attached. 



National Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management
(PDF Document, 5.27 MB)




Managing flood & coastal erosion risks in England
(PDF Document, 1.94 MB)

Fly-tipping

the earl of shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the progress made to date in combatting fly tipping.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is committed to tackling fly-tipping. In recent years we have ensured that local authorities have the necessary powers to tackle fly-tipping. We have given local authorities the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small scale fly-tipping and enhanced local authorities’ and the Environment Agency’s ability to search and seize the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.   Earlier this year we also consulted on giving local authorities and the Environment Agency the power to issue fixed penalty notices to householders who fail in their duty of care and pass their waste to fly-tippers. A further announcement will follow later this year. We will also support local authorities in raising householders’ awareness of their duty of care and update the Waste Duty of Care Code of Practice to inform householders better about how to ensure their waste is disposed of properly.   As part of the Government’s Resource and Waste Strategy (due to be published before the end of the year), we are developing a strategic approach to waste crime. This will include further measures to tackle fly-tipping, including enhancing local-level partnership working and working with the court system to strengthen sentences to act as an effective deterrent.   Defra annually publishes fly-tipping statistics for England. The statistics for 2016/17 showed local authorities dealt with 1,002,000 fly-tipping incidents. The statistics for 2017/18 will be published on Thursday 15 November.

Home Office

Bank Services: Hacking

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hacking offences pertaining to customers’ bank accounts have been resolved in each of the past three financial years; in how many cases hackers were convicted; and what proportion they estimate the sum attributed to those offences resulting in conviction is of the total estimated to have been stolen through such hacking offences in the last three financial years.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK Government does not hold data on customer losses from hacking against banks.There were 142 convictions for Computer Misuse Act offences between 2015-2017. It is not possible to identify from centrally held data the number of hacking offences specifically relating to customer bank accounts. We are unable to disaggregate offences relating specifically to bank accounts from those offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.The cyber threats we face continue to grow in scale and sophistication. This is why the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 is supported by £1.9billion of transformational investment.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Chemicals: Regulation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the regulatory systems of theremaining EU member states and the UK remain aligned post-Brexit, in particular regarding the EU–REACH Chemicals Management System.

lord callanan: The UK and the EU start from a unique position of aligned rules. The Government’s White Paper on the Future Relationship between the UK and the EU proposes a UK-EU free trade area, including chemicals, which is underpinned by a common rulebook for goods. The UK is also seeking participation in the EU agencies for highly regulated sectors, including the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Our proposal would avoid friction at the border and mean that businesses could access both UK and EU markets through one series of approvals.

EU Institutions: Allowances

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to relevant authorities to encourage them to review the level of allowances for (1) Members of the European Parliament, and (2) judges of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

lord callanan: The level of allowances for Members of the European Parliament and are decided internally by the European Parliament’s Bureau and and are outlined in the MEP Statute.The allowances of the President and members of the Court of Justice of the European Union are provided for in Council Regulation (EU) 2016/300 determining the emoluments of EU high-level public office holders which was adopted on 29 February 2016.

EU Institutions: Allowances

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to relevant authorities to encourage them toreform the requirements for disclosure of expenditure of allowancesby (1) Members of the European Parliament, and (2) judges of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

lord callanan: The level of allowances for Members of the European Parliament are decided internally by the European Parliament’s Bureau and are outlined in the MEP Statute.The European Council determines the salaries, allowances and pensions of EU high-level public office holders, including those of the judges of the CJEU. Therefore the UK, as a Member State, has had the opportunity to feed in and shape discussions around the relevant regulations governing these aspects.The allowances of the President and members of the Court of Justice of the European Union are provided for in Council Regulation (EU) 2016/300 determining the emoluments of EU high-level public office holders which was adopted on 29 February 2016.

European Parliament Members: Allowances

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the ruling of the General Court of the European Court of Justice in September which confirmed the European Parliament’s decision to refuse to grant access to documents relating to MEPs’ subsistence allowances, travel expenses and parliamentary assistance allowances.

lord callanan: Her Majesty’s Government respects the ruling of the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Decisions around the release of documents are an internal matter for the European Parliament, acting in accordance with the judgment of the Court.

Brexit: Statutory Instruments

baroness jay of paddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many statutory instruments they expect to lay before Parliament to address any gaps in the statute book arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU; and how many of those instruments they anticipate will be laid under (1) the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and (2) other primary legislation.

baroness jay of paddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many statutory instruments they expect to lay before Parliament under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 in each month to March 2019.

baroness jay of paddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many statutory instruments laid under the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 they anticipate laying as (1) proposed negative instruments, and (2) draft statutory instruments.

lord callanan: I refer to my Hon Friend’s, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union’s, letter to the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the European Statutory Instruments Committee, and the Procedure Committee dated 25 October, published in the committee’s 42nd Report of Session 2017-19, where he sets out the expected ranges of Brexit statutory instruments we expect to lay for each month up to March 2019. All statutory instruments are being published on legislation.gov.uk, and the Government has committed that statutory instruments relating to EU exit will be clearly titled.

Treasury

Bank Services: Hacking

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money UK banks have reported as having been stolen from customer accounts through hacking in each of the last three financial years.

lord bates: UK Finance collects voluntary information on fraudulent transactions in the finance sector, which is published on their website. Gross losses from unauthorised fraudulent transactions going back to 2012 have been published in UK Finance’s “2017 Annual Fraud Update”.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Mobile Phones: Iford

lord baker of dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any information from O2 as to when they will improve the mobile telephony in the village of Iford in East Sussex.

lord ashton of hyde: Ofcom publishes information on coverage in the UK, which can be displayed by Local Authority. Its latest Connected Nations Report shows that, as of May 2018, there is 99.6% 4G indoor coverage from at least one Mobile Network Operator (MNO), and 69.7% from all four MNOs in the Lewes local authority area. In the same area, the data show that there is 99.9% 4G geographic coverage from at least one MNO and 95.1% from all four MNOs. The Government does not hold the information as asked in the question.

Public Sector: Information

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 29 October (HL10726), whether they will now answer the question originally put, namely, what independent body is responsible for advising on the Criteria for exceptions to marginal cost pricing, previously administered by The National Archives, to provide assurance to the re-user of public sector information (PSI) and to demonstrate that the public sector bodies are complying with PSI policy and are trading fairly.

lord ashton of hyde: Up until 2015, the exceptions to marginal cost pricing process formed part of the apparatus for managing Crown copyright by The National Archives; it did not form part of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005. As such, it applied solely to a small proportion of Crown copyright material held by museums and galleries. The Information Commissioner became responsible for complaints regarding the re-use of public sector information, under the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015. These Regulations necessitated a review of Crown copyright processes and the exceptions process was discontinued. Complaints about charges for re-use by museums and galleries may be referred to the Information Commissioner for a binding decision.

Broadband: Compton Bassett

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the installation of superfast broadband in Compton Bassett was stopped; when they expect the remaining properties to receive superfast broadband connectivity; and what compensation, if any, is available for those residents and businesses that have not yet been connected.

lord ashton of hyde: The Department does not hold information on specific locations within local Superfast projects. This information is held by the local authority project team - in this case Wiltshire Online. Decisions on what areas are in or out of scope are taken locally. For communities that fall outside of a Superfast area, there are two UK Government schemes in place that aim to upgrade a premises connection, such as the Gigabit Voucher Scheme (https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/) and the Better Broadband Scheme (https://basicbroadbandchecker.culture.gov.uk/).